


Over Again

by Zenswhore



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, F/M, Female Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Fluff, Named Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Reset Theory (Mystic Messenger), Time Loop, and yoosung is adorable as always, zen is cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:33:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23275579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenswhore/pseuds/Zenswhore
Summary: In which Oh Haru is stuck in a loop, with no obvious way out.
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character, Kim Yoosung/Main Character, Zen | Ryu Hyun/Main Character
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter One

For all of my life, I have been alone. Unwanted. Helpless. It felt as if my entire existence was a mistake. My own parents never wanted me and sent me to an adoption center as soon as I was born, but maybe sent is the wrong word for what they did when I was a baby… They didn’t even put me inside or register me at the adoption center, they only placed me outside of the gates of the adoption center. I’d like to believe that they were hoping that someone would come to find me quickly, but I have a feeling that they could’ve cared less if I had died waiting for someone to find me there in the middle of the night. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, a worker there found me at some point and brought me in, and there I remained for sixteen years.  
I could only watch as everyone I had started to grow with and get to know were adopted one by one by loving people who wanted to give them a real home. I always wondered to myself, what about me is so repulsive to these people, and only grew to hate everyone who walked in the doors of the adoption center until I eventually walked out and decided to work and get out of that place on my sixteenth birthday.  
I never had anything against the people working there, but I could never feel any real comfort in their caring attitudes since I knew from a young age that it was just their job to act that way. They didn’t really care for me or love me; they were only doing their job.  
When I left, I found a job at a restaurant in Seoul and found a small room at goshiwon that I still live in. To call it a room even feels wrong, since it felt more like a closet with a bed inside of it. There were no windows in the room, just a bed and a small dresser with a desk attached to it since it was a room meant for college students to live in and study. Although I was a good student while I was in school, I knew as soon as I left the adoption center that college was just an unachievable dream for me considering that I was barely making enough to pay for rent and a meal every day.  
Despite all of this, I still have moments that I can look back on happily. They were fleeting, of course, but I think that those good memories were better than nothing. Those memories were also not all memories that I would brag about; some of them were a bit too immoral to talk about. I also still have dreams and goals like every other twenty-two-year-old have in this country. I took up dancing as a way to focus on something other than my depressing life from a young age, and now I was a trainee at a small entertainment company. I’m not all too sure how or why I even got accepted into a company as I made it clear from the start that I wasn’t very passionate about becoming an idol. I only wanted a chance to dance; making money from it was just a plus and a means to make extra money to hopefully find a new place to live that didn’t feel like a dungeon. Thankfully the entertainment company I belong to is extremely lenient to their trainees, especially when compared to some of the others in Seoul. They essentially let me do whatever I wanted, as long as I kept my weight down and didn’t get into any major trouble.  
Actually, this entering this company was probably one of the best things that had happened in my life. It helped me settle down and end my rebellious phase of life when I didn’t care about myself or my body and did anything for a distraction from my past that crept into my thoughts whenever I was idle. Since my company lent the trainees out to do background dancing work occasionally, I had the opportunity to work with idols that people my age would swoon over. A lot of the trainees in my company would do just that upon hearing the news that they were chosen to work with them.  
I always felt a little jealous that they could show such excitement over them. I wanted to be like them and have interests like having a favorite idol, or bond over the latest episode of a popular drama, but I never had the time to spare to have interests like that. During the day I would always be at the company practicing, and during the night I would work at a restaurant, then I would have a few hours to sleep and the next day I would start that routine again. I prefer it this way though. Having time to spare would only make it easier for me to fall into my old self-destructive habits.  
Speaking of self-destructive habits, the person next to me on the bus reeked of cigarettes. I usually don’t mind, but he reeks as if he was smoking a cigarette at this very moment. I look over at him and send him a glare, but the middle-aged man shoots me back a glare even icier than mine and I immediately move my eyes back to my phone to avoid any more interactions with the smelly man. I want something to make me look busy, but as I don’t have any games or anybody to really talk to, I decide to open up the app store and download something to pass the time on the ride home. As soon as the app store loads, I download the first app that shows up on my recommended list. I could honestly care less what it was as long as it kept me looking like I was doing something.  
When the app downloads, my phone starts getting hot to the point of barely being able to hold it and the screen goes black. My phone wasn’t the newest or most reliable phone of all, but this was strange even if it was a few years old. Green code fills the screen momentarily before it goes to a chat screen that looked a little similar to the app her boss uses to contact her. What the hell happening?  
A chat bubble appears. “UNKNOWN: …Hello…?”  
What the hell did I just download?  
I decided to just type a question mark in reply to whoever this is.  
“UNKNOWN: Can you see this?”  
“Who are you?” I ask, despite everything in me silently telling me to just delete the app and move on with my day.  
“UNKNOWN: I’m sure you’re surprised.”  
“It’s not everyday you get a text from a stranger. I’m a bit flustered myself. I found a smartphone at the subway app, but all it had was this messenger app.”  
At least that eased the nerves building up inside of me. This person was probably just as confused as me right now.  
“I want to find the owner, but I don’t see any contact info or call records… I’ve been sending messages with this app but no reply… All I see is an address and some important-looking numbers saved in notes. I’d like to go there myself but I’m currently abroad…”  
Finding the owner would probably be difficult given he’s in a different country… Plus I don’t really feel like having to wash my clothes just because the smoker next to me decided to douse his entire body in the scent of cigarettes. Maybe this is a sign from God to get off this bus? “An address?” I ask.  
“UNKNOWN: Yes, there is a Korean address and a long number. I think it’s a password. Do you mind going to the address? That’s all that’s saved in this phone.” He must want me to go to the address. And do what, exactly? Right now? “I know you’re surprised to have someone suddenly pop up and ask you a favor like this. But still… I’d appreciate it if you could help.”  
Again, anxiety builds up inside of me at the thought of going to a random person’s home. But then again, what do I really have to lose right now? “How can I help you?”  
“UNKNOWN: Uhm… I’d like you to go to the address saved here. I saw the street view through the internet, and I’ve been there before. It’s an apartment downtown. Very crowded. It’s really a safe place. If you feel unsafe, you can turn around. I know the area. It’s developed.” There’s a long pause like he’s waiting for me to respond to him until another text pops up. “Please?”  
I let out a sigh. Maybe this wasn’t the greatest idea. Do I really want to have to talk to the owner and try to explain this situation? I usually opt out of talking to people no matter the cost… But maybe this is the world’s way of telling me that I need to get out and talk to people more. I decide that that’s what’s happening and agree to the person's request.  
“UNKNOWN: You trust me… Thank you! Just a sec. I’ll send you the address. Found it.”  
They send me a link to the map app with the address of the apartment. Coincidentally, the address is only about a two-minute walk from where I am right now. It really must be fate!  
The bus rolls to a stop and I run off, eager to get away from the person that was sitting next to me.  
I walk around a bit with the map pulled up on my phone, trying to navigate my way around the crowds of this neighborhood and to the apartment complex. Upon arriving, I’m immediately taken aback by the elegance of the lobby alone. It’s always shocking to see what people in a better financial state than me live like… It’s so different from the lobby of the building I live in. I make my way to the elevator and press the button to take me to the fifth floor.  
My phone buzzed alive once again. “UNKNOWN: Are you there? ^^ See. nothing strange. Is there a password lock on the door?”  
I send a text of confirmation and awkwardly stand outside of the door of the apartment, hoping not to look too suspicious or strange.  
“UNKNOWN: I’ll send you the digits. Try it.”  
Why would I just break into a stranger's apartment for this person? I only agreed to let the owner know that some person has their phone, not get arrested and kicked out of my company. “…Shouldn’t I ring the doorbell first?”  
“UNKNOWN: Hmm… You’re right! Sorry I wasn’t thinking straight. Then ring the doorbell.”  
I press the button near the doorknob. It almost makes me laugh a bit about the way this person is acting… they must be really nervous if they didn’t even think about ringing the doorbell. But nobody answers the door. What now? “I don’t think anybody is inside,” I send.  
“UNKNOWN: Hmm. No choice then. I guess the place is empty. Why don’t you press the code?”  
Everything in my body is once again screaming no to me. But am I going to listen? When have I really ever listened to my consciousness?  
“Okay. I will.” I press the long combination into the keypad and the door unlocks. “The door is open.”  
“UNKNOWN: Good. Why don’t you go inside?”  
“I guess I will.” I open the door to a luxurious apartment. One far nicer than I had ever imagined a person could really live in. Was it possible to live in a place like this comfortably? Or are my standards just that low? I close the door behind me and quickly look for a notepad somewhere, to jot down a note letting the owner know what happened.  
“UNKNOWN: Th”  
“UNKNOWN: ank”  
“UNKNOWN: You…”  
“UNKNOWN has left the chat.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello~! This is my first story published here and I'm not really sure what to expect, but I've had this idea for a story in my head for the past few weeks. I never had time to actually write it down, but now that I have to take classes online because of the virus, I finally have the time! I didn't really look over the chapters I posted because if we go out we go out like men, but I think I'll probably go back and revise some stuff as the story progresses. Please let me know if you have any criticism or if you have anything to say, I'd love to hear it! Thanks, everyone!

I stared at the phone in my hand as it started heating up again, even hotter than it did on the bus.  
“What the hell is wrong with this thing?” I yell to myself, dropping the old smartphone on the ground in fear of it burning my hands. The screen went black once more and opened another chat room where a group of people was conversing.  
This was all weird. A million questions are running through my mind simultaneously. What did I just get myself into? Should I just leave the apartment? Why was that guy being so weird? How did he disconnect from the chat? Maybe the people in the chatroom now know what the hell is going on right now.  
I pick my phone back up from the spotless hardwood floors of the apartment.  
“707: Think someone just entered the chatroom;;”  
“Jumin: Oh Haru…?”  
“Zen: Wtf. How did it get in here?”  
So much for them knowing what was going on. Their lack of knowledge of what was happing only sent a new wave of nerves through my body and I start pacing around the kitchen of the apartment, trying to do my best to sort the thoughts piling up in my mind out.  
I’m just going to figure out what’s happening right now and go back to the company to train. This won’t take long. Right? Nobody is here… and it doesn’t look like anybody has been here for a while. The owner of this place probably wouldn’t appreciate a stranger like me staying here for too long, but I had good intentions! The person I was a few years ago probably would’ve taken my chances and picked up a few of the valuable things laying around the apartment before disappearing, but I wasn’t like that anymore! I am trying to be a good person! Yes, I’ll just figure out what is happening here, so I don’t have to panic in public and possibly cause a scene. A flurry of messages fills the chatroom on my phone, but I’m too preoccupied with my thoughts to really read them closely until I realize that they’re asking me who I am. “I’m Oh Haru. Who are you all and what is this place?”  
“707: Lol so awkward. I thought it was a computer talking.”  
“Zen: Seems more normal than I thought.”  
“Yoosung: What were you thinking?”  
“Zen: … Nothing~ Nothing.”  
“Yoosung: Should we… introduce ourselves?”  
This group of people seemed more trustworthy than the first person I was talking to. Then again, the first person I talked too also seemed this way at first. But they seemed more real, and the way that they were all talking among themselves reminded me of how the trainees in her company always chatted on their company group chat. I could never really bring myself to insert myself in the conversations, and at this point, it would seem extremely weird too, but I always enjoyed just reading over what they were saying and pretending that those people were my friends. Maybe that’s why the thought of them introducing themselves to me practically glued my eyes to the screen of the chatroom.  
The first person to introduce themselves is Zen. “Hi. I’m Zen. (24 yrs old) Musical actor… Don’t look me up on the internet. It’s embarrassing.” After a few comments from the other people in the group chat that had yet to introduce themselves, he sent a picture of himself.  
A wave of realization came over me. Zen? As in the celebrity Zen? I remember some of the trainees gushing about him and his handsome looks, and from this picture, I knew that they weren’t exaggerating at all. He looks far more handsome than words could even begin to describe… He has the kind of face that somebody could spend an eternity looking at without even feeling the need to blink.  
“707: My nickname’s 707. Real names a secret. Fyi, Zen’s real name is Hyun Ryu.”  
I feel the name to pinch myself upon seeing Zen’s real name… How is it that even his name is handsome?  
“707: Just remember me as the 22-year-old hacker lol. Where I live is also a secret.”  
I begin to type out a text telling him that I’m also the same age as him, but I quickly delete it before pressing send. Maybe I should start being more cautious about what I say and do for strangers. Although, their texts introducing themselves were helping to calm my rapid heartbeat.  
Yoosung also introduces himself quickly and sends a picture. I sigh when I see him. He’s the exact type of person I always dreamed of being when I was younger. It almost hurt a little, to see him look so happy and innocent. Why couldn’t I have a life like him? I don’t know anything about him but… I’m still a bit jealous from just looking at a photo.  
Seven introduces the ever so professional Jumin Han, who he thought was the most unlikely to volunteer to introduce himself.  
“707: Oh, fyi, Jumin has the cutest cat.”  
“Jumin: Hey. Why are we talking about Elizabeth the 3rd to a stranger?”  
Hearing the name of the cat immediately makes me giggle to myself. The name is both elegant and hilarious. Who would name a cat that?  
Seven sends a picture of someone, who was probably Jumin, gently petting a fluffy white cat. He looked just as elegant as the name of the cat is. If the background in the picture and his clothing is any hint to his financial state, he is in a much better situation than me. Actually, he is probably in the exact opposite situation. I don’t even want to imagine what his bank account balance is.  
They all continue on with their conversation and mention something about the apartment I’m in belonging to Rika and ask me how I knew the password to the apartment. I decide to respond honestly. “I am flustered too. I was connected to a stranger through a messenger app and he sent me the address.”  
“Jumin: Chatting with a stranger… How naive.” His comment makes me furrow my eyebrows in anger. He was right, but what was I supposed to do?  
“Zen: So cute lol. Went to an address from a chatting app lolol.”  
“Yoosung: Don’t listen to strangers~ The world is dangerous.”  
I want to say something to defend myself, but thinking about it now makes me realize that it was a little dumb of me to go to an address sent to me by a stranger. Of course, I know that the world is dangerous… I had been through a lot after I left the adoption center six years ago. I was a young girl with no connections and nobody to get help from. The men at the first restaurant she worked at were like vultures. Always reaching out to touch her when it was unwelcome and treating her like an animal that they claimed ownership over rather than a human being. I put up with it for so long… Even now, to a lesser extent, I put up with it at my part-time job. Older men are especially scary to deal with; they all seem to ignore the concept of boundaries.  
“707: Wait… Do u have that person’s username or chat record?”  
“The username was ‘Unknown’ and the chat record was deleted,” I send.  
“Jumin: Does the username not exist? Why is it ‘Unknown’?”  
“707: I made it impossible to log in without setting a username. Nothings in the log…”  
The anxiety that was eased by the more lighthearted conversation that they were having crept up on me again, and I sat down on the nearest chair to stop myself from freezing up completely, but the spell the anxiety cast on me was broken as soon as Yoosung asked, “What’s a log? Is it a job title for online games?”  
“Jumin: Tree trunk.”  
“Jaehee: It refers to past records;;”  
“Zen: Tsk tsk everyone’s so dumb.”  
Even in a unique situation like this, everyone was starting to show their charms. Their strong personalities that are starting to show through in these little texts make me smile. These are the exact types of people I wanted to be friends with if my life was anything different from what it has been. I wonder if I could actually be friends with these people one day? It’s a nice thought. Maybe there is a chance for that to really happen? In any other circumstance, I would never have the chance to talk to people like this. I part of me wants to take this chance to make friends outside of work for the first time in my life, but another part of me is begging me to just run away and pretend like none of this ever happened.  
“Jaehee: Who do you think this ‘Unknown’ person is?”  
“707: Maybe… A hacker!?”  
A cute emoji that resembles the picture of Seven in his profile picture appears on the screen. I wonder who made them?  
“707: A hacker! No way. I have everything covered! Hey, Haru. So he told you the password for the door lock?”  
I type a simple ‘yes’ in response. I know just as much as they do about this situation… I’m used to people having a bad impression of me, but for some reason, I hope that they don’t have an impression of me that would make them believe that I had a bad intention when I came here.  
“Jumin: I see… That ‘Unknown’ person could’ve dragged you into this.” I breathe out a sigh of relief. At least one person thinks that I’m not as bad as I probably seem right now.  
They go on to ask me more questions about how I downloaded the app and bring up a guy named V. He seems to be the leader of this group. Seven even ended up looking into me and adding a comment that I looked cute. That made me laugh; just what picture did he see of me? And how? Either way, I think I’m anything but cute. I am short and petite but compared to all of the girls in my company, I’m nothing special at all. I’m average at best. Even my long dark hair seemed average. The other girls I’m usually around have haircuts and colors that really complement them and bring out their cute facial features, but because I don’t really have the money to pay to get my hair done, I just do my best to keep my split ends at bay and keep my bangs trimmed with a pair of craft scissors that I bought at the discount store near where I live. I didn’t have the luxury to have a specific style either; all of the clothes I bought in the past were just whatever I could find on sale. I really preferred to wear the clothes brought to us trainees to wear for performances. When I perform, that’s really the only time I feel truly comfortable with how I look. Maybe he saw a picture from a performance?  
“Yoosung: You did a background check on her?! So Hara is definitely a girl?” The thought of the hacker, Seven, doing a background check on me didn’t make me particularly comfortable considering my past, but I guess that if I had those skills I would do the same thing in this situation.  
“You’re not violating my…” I send without finishing the sentence, assuming he would understand.  
“707: Itolduimahacker. Butnoevidenceididit”  
“Jumin: What? It’s really a girl?”  
The text, “V has entered the chatroom,” appears on the screen before I could tell Jumin off about calling me ‘it’ again. It seems like the others don’t notice though, as they continue talking about me and wanting to share a picture. Seven refuses to share a picture though, which is nice. If he doesn’t share a picture, he probably wouldn’t share anything about the records of me being at an adoption center for most of my life if he saw it, right? But then he does share a picture, which makes me panic for a split second before I realize that it’s not even a picture of me. The others also thought it was me at first glance, but it turns out it was a picture of Jaehee.  
“707: V’s coming here soon. He just hung up.”  
“V: I’m already logged in.” His profile picture is a picture of him with mint green hair with the smallest hint of a smile on his face. Judging from that alone, he seems like a serious type. Maybe more similar to Jumin. They all chat for a moment and he checks up on how the members have all been doing before the spotlight is turned to me once again.  
“V: Well, I heard about a situation. Oh Haru is currently in Rika’s apartment with info from a stranger and logged into this chatroom.” That seemed like a very oversimplified version of the story to me, but I guess it worked.  
“707: I told him everything through the phone.”  
They go on and ask V questions about the ‘Unknown’ person to him, and Yoosung even goes as far as asking V for the address of the apartment I’m in to check who I am himself. Apparently, the address of the apartment is classified information because of all of the confidential things in the apartment. That made me even more uncomfortable to be here, even though I don’t think I could be more uncomfortable essentially breaking into a random girl’s apartment and hanging around as long as I have been. V asks me not to tell anybody about the address of the apartment and for the others not to ask me about it, to which I agree to but ask “What’s classified information?” Part of me didn’t want to press on the issue of the information, but I was too curious to just let it go.  
“V: All the information there is classified. So Haru… Is that what I call you? Please do not touch anything there. For example, if you try to force open one of the drawers… The alarm will ring.” I’m a little bit shocked to hear that. Just what is this information here that’s so important that someone would set up an alarm for opening a drawer?  
“Yoosung: What do we do about her apartment? Can Haru stay there?” Hold up. Stay here? With all of this security? Why would I want to do that? Would the girl be coming back anytime soon?  
“V: First… Nobody here is going to Rika’s apartment, right? Since the information involves everyone around us, we have to be careful.” I understand that there’s classified information, but does he have to go so far as basically making me a prisoner in some girl’s apartment? V is only making me more nervous. Just what kind of group is this? The other members are nice, but there’s something off about V.  
“Jumin: Yeah yeah. You can stop explaining. Classified information. Got it. But it is a mystery how a complete stranger could end up there.”  
“V: If it’s someone who know the password… It might be someone that Rika trusted.”  
“Jumin: Someone that Rika trusted?” Jumin’s text echoed my own thoughts.  
“V: I am only guessing…”  
“707: So that ‘Unknown’ person... knew Rika!? I can’t believe she trusted someone more than V.” The way that they were talking about Rika made me nervous. They’re using past tense… does that mean that she could be out of their lives now? She couldn’t be dead, right?  
After getting off track for a moment, V goes back to continue what he was saying. “Haru being at her apartment right now… Rika must’ve wanted that.”  
“Jumin: Rika called in a complete stranger from up in the sky?” Well, that confirmed my worst fears. Rika must’ve passed away. Suddenly, the apartment doesn’t seem as bright and nice as it did when I first walked in.  
“V: I’m not saying Rika wanted Haru to be there… But maybe… Rika wanted someone to do the work she did before. At the place she worked before.”  
“Jumin: What…?”  
I’m confused. What kind of work did she do? If she worked with so much classified information, it would probably be a dangerous job, right? The others sound just as confused as I am, then Seven mentions something about hosting a party. How could hosting a party possibly entail having so much classified information?  
“Yoosung: Do you really think that… Rika planned this? If she made that decision when she was alive…”  
“V: That’s my guess… but yes. Since she didn’t leave a will. According to the information Luciel provided, Haru doesn’t seem dangerous.”  
My head is spinning. Why did I get caught up in trying to help a stranger? When the hell have I ever gone out of my way to help others, anyways? What was I thinking? Now I’m caught up in a group that a dead woman wanted me in, and I’m even sitting in her apartment surrounded by a seemingly insane amount of classified information.  
“Jumin: I’m not sure about this to be honest…” I wanted to type out that I also wasn’t, but V sends another message before I have the chance.  
“V: Besides, she’s basically in the same boat as us now that she knows about this messenger app.” Why did that feel like a threat?  
“I just came to find the owner of the phone… what is going on?” I ask.  
“707: Owner of the phone? You were phished lol. According to V’s Rika… the person who used to live there had the person ‘Unknown’ convince u to go to the apartment.”  
Jaehee quickly interjects. “Wait… I understand… that everyone values V’s opinion. But… This chatroom is strictly prohibited to strangers. If I may say so, I think that we must verify what Haru has said. For all we know, Haru could have simply made up that ‘Unknown’ person.” Jaehee exudes a professional attitude through her texts. She seems like a rational person who is a rule follower. I don’t have a similar personality, but I can understand where she’s coming from.  
“707: I feel like Jaehee’s glasses are glinting right now.”  
“Jaehee: ?”  
“V: Thank you for your opinion Jaehee. But right now, I would appreciate it if you could trust me. If Haru isn’t to be trusted, we can deal with it then.”  
“I’m not really interested,” I respond. How could I be? I have a life to keep up with and virtually zero time to spare. My boss at my part-time job had been begging me to take time off though, but it’s not like I could ever take time off as a trainee. I couldn’t plan a party, or whatever they wanted me to do, on top of everything. Even if I only went to the company for practice for a while, it would be too much.  
“Zen: How chic… Cute is nice but chic women have their own charms.” I want to slam my head into a wall, laugh, and blush all at the same time. Is he really saying that right now?  
“Jumin: He’s gone insane.”  
“707: Lol excited bc she’s a girl?”  
“Zen: Yup.”  
“Jumin: Excited because of a stranger? Your heart is insane.” I roll my eyes at the texts that they were sending in the group chat.  
“Yoosung: Haru, you may not be interested right now, but won’t you listen to what we have to say? You are involved now that you’re here. Regardless of whether you like it or not.” I whisper a few obscenities to myself; he’s right. I am involved. It’s nobody’s fault but my own, too  
“707: Ya. If you don’t cooperate, we can all team up to put u in trouble. First, we all know that u trespassed on the apartment^^” My heart drops. Zen shoots a text to the group asking if that was a threat, and Seven confirms that it was in a joking matter. He might’ve said it in a lighthearted way, but it felt just as serious as a threat.  
If I leave, my dancing career would be over. I might go to jail. I would lose everything I built up in the last few years and become what everybody thought I would. I give up. “Alright… I’ll listen for now.”  
“707: Thank you for your cooperation.”  
“Zen: Rika is… V’s old girlfriend and the person who created this chatroom.”  
“Yoosung: Rika hosted parties regularly for a good cause. She originated a group called RFA to help plan the party and manage participants.”  
“A party?” I saw them talking about a party earlier before, but if I am about to be forced into helping them with this I might as well get more information on what I’m doing.  
“707: Rika founded the organization called RFA four years ago and hosted two parties until so far. The six of us who knew her personally joined the organization and helped her host the party.”  
Yoosung sent a picture of Rika. She’s beautiful; long blonde hair, a nice figure, and a neat style. The clothing she wore in the picture matches with the neat and simple style of the apartment. She looked happy enough in the photo, but I suppose that a simple photo doesn’t say much about your mental or physical wellbeing.  
“Yoosung: She was an amazing person… She always sparkled…”  
“Zen: And Rika… is no longer here with us… She passed away a year and a half ago.”  
“707: Haru has to know this anyways…”  
“Zen: Anyways, we still haven’t gotten over that. So please just keep it to yourself… Haru.  
I can nearly feel their sadness through the phone. It seems like they were all extremely close. How could I take the place of someone that sounds as nice and kind as her? From how they talk about her she seems like she was a perfect person, and I am anything but that.  
Feeling myself zone out from the conversation, I take this to take a good look around the apartment. Everything is spotless and in its place. I can barely even see any dust building up, which is surprising since they said she passed away a long time ago.  
By the time I look back at my phone, V is speaking again. “Everyone… I know this is confusing. But… maybe Haru was chosen by Rika. 707 will look into that person called ‘Unknown’. So for now, just believe in me and wait.”  
“707: I guess ur busy right now. Ur replies are really late.”  
“V: Yeah I think… I have to leave right now. Haru, it’s best not to touch anything in the apartment. It won’t be good if the alarm rings. Everything that you have to do… will be linked with this app installed on your phone.”  
The original feeling I got of V seemed to be in the past now; after hearing about Rika, I feel like he genuinely believes what he’s saying about me. I can’t believe what I’m thinking but, maybe I should do this? I’ve seen what people are like after their loved ones leave or pass away and I wouldn’t want to make it any harder on them… And also I could get arrested if I refuse. “What do you mean?” I ask.  
Seven does his best to explain to me the ins and outs of this app, and he once again becomes the joker Seven that he was acting like when their conversation first started. V asks Jumin to ‘take care of things’ for him, whatever that means, and exits the chatroom after reminding me not to touch any of Rika’s belongings. Despite being threatened earlier, they’re once again giving me a warm welcome to the group and formally asked me to join them.  
“Jumin: Haru, will you join RFA?” His words are nice to hear, but it seems like I don’t have much of a choice. Do I want to help these people out, or go to jail?  
“Alright. It looks fun. I’ll give it a go,” I say, without really thinking much about my words. My choice was written in stone as soon as I entered Rika’s apartment. There is no getting away from it now if I want to keep living a somewhat normal life. I feel my phone buzzing in my hand with new messages, but I can’t bring myself to look. I think that my entire life just changed today.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was busy with finals for a few weeks so here's a longish chapter!

“Haru?”  
I groaned, turning away from the sound trying to wake me up from my sleep.  
“Haru. Please answer me.” The voice was unfamiliar, but the pounding in my head was prominent enough to still make me ignore it, praying for another chance to fall asleep.  
“HARU ANSWER NOW!” The voice shrieked and I immediately shot up and opened my eyes. There was nobody around me, and I was still in the apartment. When did I fall asleep? I couldn’t remember even feeling tired, much less actually falling asleep. My vision was blurry as I searched for the source of the voice and picked up my phone.  
“I’m up, okay? Don’t yell, please…” I muttered, probably sounding more pathetic than I wanted to.  
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t think you were going to wake up. You weren’t picking up, so I forced your phone to take the call. Sorry if I surprised you.”  
I nodded and rubbed my temples, wishing for the ache in my head to disappear, “Who is this?”  
“Right! I’m Seven, from the chatroom earlier… You disappeared kind of suddenly, so everyone was worried. You’re okay, right?”  
“My head hurts, but other than that I’m fine,” I said.  
“Oh, that’s good- I mean, I’m sorry that your head hurts but I’m glad nothing bad happened to you. I was panicking…”  
“Panicking?” I perked up, “Why would you panic?”  
Seven sounded like he was choking, “I- um, that’s… Nothing! I was just worried because you were so quiet after everything happened.”  
There was something suspicious to his voice, but I decided not to push it. “Okay… Thank you, then. For worrying about me,” Once the words fell out of my mouth, I felt awkward. Why would somebody worry about me? For all my life I had basically been on my own, and the feeling of someone saying that they worried about me was completely alien. I don’t know if his worry was genuine enough, but him only saying those words were enough to set off a wave of emotions in my heart. Desperate to get my mind off of the thought of him worrying, I changed the subject. “Can I ask you something?”  
“Sure! You can ask me anything! God Seven is at your service.”  
I giggled at his lighthearted words that contrasted the emotions that I was putting myself through just moments before. “Am I really supposed to stay in this apartment? It’s a nice place and everything, but it feels uncomfortable to stay here like I live here.”  
Seven sighed on the other side of the line, “Unfortunately, until your security is insured, I think it’s best if you treat that place as your home until we can figure out something.” That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear from him, but I guess I could understand him. If everything here is important, making sure that those things are safe would be the best thing to do in that situation and me leaving an apartment that could be broken into again at any moment wouldn’t help. However, it’s uncomfortable no matter what. “If you need to go back to your place to pick up stuff, feel free to. But I do think you should keep your outings to a minimum, especially at night. Or if you feel like something might happen…”  
I hummed at his reply. “So it’s okay if I go back to get my stuff… I think I’ll go right now if it isn’t too late…”  
“Alright, it’s only nine right now so that shouldn’t be an issue. Make sure to lock the door and please be careful and call me right away if you see any-“  
“Okay, dad,” I laugh at his worriedness. It strangely enough felt good to hear someone say things like that, even if it wasn’t me that they were worried about. I knew he was just worried about what’s in the apartment being stolen, or something like that. “Don’t worry about me too much, I might mistake this for something other than what it is.”  
Seven let out a nervous laugh, “I get it! I should warn you, though, that not many people can resist the God Seven.” He paused before continuing more quietly, “So don’t try to hold yourself back too much…”  
My breath hitched in my throat. The tone of his voice changed when he said that and it was enough to make me shiver. “Um… Yeah. I’m just going to-“ I was stuttering, “I’m just going to go now.”  
“Oh, okay,” Seven cleared his throat, “Yeah, be careful! Let me or someone else know when you get back. By the way, Jaehee wanted to set up a meeting with you in the morning, I think, so you should talk to her at some point to set that up.”  
“Alright, I will. Thank you…”  
“Of course. I hope you have a good night, Haru.” Just like that, the phone call was over. 

The next day [08:51]…

“Jaehee: Haru, where should we pick you up?”  
“Yoosung: wahhhhhhh it’s so unfair that you get to meet Haru first”  
“Zen: Tell me about it. What gives that ceo-to-be jerk the right to call her in to that place so early anyways? Haru, give me the word and I’ll come instead.”  
I giggled at the flattering texts. Honestly, I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. These people were all almost overwhelmingly welcoming. Maybe it was because nobody had ever treated me like this before, but I couldn’t help but to feel a bit attached to them all already. “Jaehee, you really don’t have to pick me up. I can take the bus there! It’s not a problem!”  
“Zen: See! She feels uncomfortable! Haru, let me pick you up instead.”  
For the sake of V and Seven who seemed hellbent on keeping Rika’s apartment a secret, I declined. “It’s really fine. I want to take the bus there.”  
“Jaehee: If that’s what you really want to do, that’s fine. I’ll meet you in the lobby of the C&F building in an hour, then?”  
“Yup! I’ll see you then!”  
“Zen: Haru, I’ll meet you there too.”  
“Yoosung: Zen don’t you think you’re being a little too desperate right now????”  
“Zen: You’re just jealous that you’re stuck in classes right now and have to miss the grand opportunity to see our cutie new member^^”  
“Yoosung: I hate that smile…”  
I threw my phone on the counter in Rika’s bathroom with a smile. If I was really about to meet multiple members of the group I was now a part of, I didn’t want to make a bad impression. Especially because I would be meeting them in a company as big as C&F. When it was revealed that Jumin was the heir of that company, I didn’t really give it any thought; it didn’t even occur to me that I would have a chance of stepping into one of their offices, much less be talking with the future CEO there. It made me nervous but in an exciting way. Everything that was happening now was so different compared to the life I had lived until this moment, and I wanted to soak all of it in and not look at it in a negative light. Maybe this could really be my chance to live like a normal person from now on. Maybe this group of people could help me change my life for good. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but this new euphoric feeling of having just a tinge of a sense of belonging somewhere was something that I never wanted to give up.  
Looking at my bare face in the mirror, I decided on a plan of action to make myself look better than the tired face staring back at me did. I threw brushed my long hair out and spread a layer of foundation on my face like the women who did my makeup for me when I was performing did. The makeup artists that worked on background dancers like me were nowhere near as experienced as the people working on the idols were, but they always did a good job on making me look better than I ever would on a regular day. I tried my best to follow what they usually did until I was satisfied. The look I ended up with wasn’t as dramatic as they would do since it wasn’t as if I was about to go out in perform right now, but rather a more everyday-looking makeup style with brown eyeshadow, a little bit of eyeliner on my top lids, and an orange-ish lip tint. It looked appropriate for an office. As for the outfit I was going to wear, I wasn’t as lucky. I never had bought any formal-ish clothing, so I settled on a pair of jeans paired with a white shirt and the long beige coat I had been wearing when I first came to the apartment.  
I looked myself over in the mirror once again, happy with the work I could do in the span on fifteen minutes and rushed out the door to catch the bus quickly in order to make it to the office on time and carefully locked the door behind me.  
Seven’s words from the night before echoed in my mind. Don’t try to hold yourself back too much. His words were as unexpected as they were warm. In a strange way, the words were helping my nerves from overtaking my thoughts. I won’t hold myself back. I deserve to let myself embrace the idea of making friends after pushing everybody away for so long. This was going to be the start of a new path for me, and if it was going to end up being a dead-end then so be it. At least I would be able to say I tried.  
Before I knew it, I was already standing outside of the C&F building. I picked my phone up and called Jaehee to let her know that I was there.  
She answered on the second ring. “Haru? Did you make it here?”  
“Yeah, I’m just walking in right now!” I made my way through the large glass doors of the building. The interior was just as luxurious as I expected it to be, given Jumin’s personality. It had a modern feel to it, and it was impeccably clean. If I thought Rika’s apartment was sparkling clean, it seemed like this place was the source of inspiration for its cleanliness. Despite the crowds of workers walking in and out of the lobby, there was not a single footprint to be seen on the glossy white tiles. My confidence that I had a moment before was dissipating with every second I spent inside. All of these people working here probably lived lives much better than the one I was living in now. They probably all went to college, had loving families and nice homes to return to after their shifts. I felt out of place to put it simply.  
“Haru?” A feminine voice grabbed my attention. I spun around to find the source of the voice and came face to face with a glasses-clad businesswoman. She was around the same height as me and despite her suit-dress, it was easy to tell that she was extremely fit. Jaehee gave me a bright smile that immediately soothed my building nerves.  
“Jaehee? It’s so nice to meet you!” I smiled back and offered my hand so she could shake it.  
While shaking my hand she said, “It’s nice to meet you too! I’m glad I can put a face to the name now.” Jaehee pulled back and looked around. “Zen said he was coming, so maybe we should wait here a bit longer? It’s not every day he decides to come here, and I don’t want to miss out on seeing his face. But I do hope he didn’t come on his motorcycle.”  
I nodded along with her words. “Zen rides motorcycles?”  
She sighed, “Yes it’s just one of his dangerous hobbies. I really wish he wouldn’t do that anymore.”  
As if it was fate, a silver-haired god strolled into the lobby carrying a helmet in one hand. He was wearing an outfit almost identical to mine but made it look completely different. His body was muscular and statue-like in contrast to my frailish body, and his height towered over both Jaehee and I. To say the least, he was breathtaking, and my heartfelt like it would fail on me at any moment. I knew that the girls at my company that talked about him weren’t exaggerating about his looks once he sent his picture to the chatroom but seeing Zen in person brought that to a whole new level. “Jaehee,” he waved and flashed a smiled, making me feel like my soul was leaving my body.  
“Zen, it’s an absolute pleasure to see you here,” Jaehee beamed.  
Without missing a beat, Zen strode over to us rested his red eyes on me. “You must be Haru, right?”  
My eyes widened and I nodded. A blush crept over my cheeks before I even had a chance to say a word. “Hi, Zen.”  
“Your name is just as beautiful as you are. Luciel was really right about her being cute,” He picked up my hand and gently kissed the top of my hand while still staring directly into my eyes. It felt like my world stopped as soon as his lips met my skin. I could only imagine the bright shade of red that was probably plaguing my cheeks at that moment.  
Jaehee cleared her throat but Zen kept his eyes on mine. “So, now that you’re here, shall we go meet Jumin and start the process of putting her into the RFA’s system?”  
I breathed for the first time since seeing Zen walk into the building. “Yeah, let's go! Lead the way, Jaehee.”  
The three of us made our way to the elevators and Zen kept his pace to match mine, although his legs were so long that his regular speed of walking would make us have to run in order to keep up with him. We were all silent until we made it to the floor Jumin was on, but it was a comfortable silence.  
“Zen, can you stay with Haru for a minute? Before I get Jumin I have to go grab some forms for her to fill out,” Jaehee said.  
He eagerly nodded and reassured Jaehee that he would stay with me before Jaehee walked away from us. Zen turned to me again with a smile that made his eyes crinkle, “Sorry if it feels like I’m intruding on your meeting with them today. I just really wanted to meet you since we’ll be working together in RFA from now on.”  
I returned his smile, “No, don’t worry. I’m kind of glad that you came. The atmosphere here is not really what I’m used to.”  
“Oh, really? That’s good then. I’m not so used to a place like this either since I work in theatres rather than offices,” He pauses, “I wonder what kind of place you work in?”  
“I’m a dancer, so right now I’m a trainee at an entertainment company,” I laughed sheepishly. I was rather nervous to reveal that since I was so used to be judged for it, even though I shouldn’t be in front of Zen considering his profession. A lot of people thought that it was a waste of time to do anything in entertainment and that there were better ways to make money. “I also work at a restaurant in Itaewon when I have free time.”  
Zen looked genuinely shocked at my answer. “You’re a trainee? I really didn’t expect you to say that. Maybe we’re a lot more similar than I thought. Do you think you’ll debut soon?”  
“No,” I shook my head, “Honestly, debuting isn’t really my goal. Right now, I do a lot of work as a background dancer and I’m satisfied just doing that.”  
“I see,” Zen hummed. “You must have a true passion for dancing then since most people doing what you do have the end goal of becoming an idol.” Zen locked eyes with me again, making my knees buckle for a second. He was so handsome that it was intimidating. Zen had a warm personality that evened that out, but eye contact with him was still overwhelming; in a good way, that is.  
I smiled. “I’d like to think so. Although, I guess I’ll have to put that part of my life on pause until this party is figured out.”  
Zen frowned at that comment. “Don’t worry too much. We’ll get it figured out quickly so you can get back to doing what you love. I, of all people in RFA, know better than anyone how a few days or weeks can affect your work.”  
After a few more minutes of small talk with Zen, Jaehee returned with a pile of documents in her hands. Apparently, something came up with Jumin and he wasn’t available to meet with us anymore. We went through the many documents that Jaehee brought for me and slowly but surely filled them all out. Thankfully, nothing was asked about my family situation, but it was a little embarrassing to explain my living situation. However, she was understanding and didn’t push me to explain my financial situation that put me there. Zen was also taking calls more most of the time we were talking, so he wasn’t paying attention to all of the personal information that I had to give Jaehee. We finished everything in about an hour.  
“Thank you for cooperating with us,” Jaehee stood up with all the documents in her hands, “Although your reason for joining us is suspicious, I feel more at ease knowing more about you.”  
I winced. I knew that she didn’t trust me, but did she have to say it so plainly?  
Before I had a chance to say anything, Zen stuck his head inside of Jaehee’s office from the hallway, “Are you two all finished now?”  
We both nodded, “She’s free to go now. I’d ask to go out for coffee with you both, but I’m busy with work today.”  
“Ah, speaking of coffee, there’s a nice café a few minutes from here. Do you want to go together, Haru?”  
I felt my ears redden at his offer. Don’t couples usually go to cafes on dates? It felt a bit strange to me to go out somewhere alone with someone I barely knew. How else could I make friends, though? I should have more confidence in myself and put myself out there. “Sure!”  
Zen beamed and motioned for me to come to him. “Jaehee, we’ll go first! Make sure you eat something healthy for lunch!”  
“Thank you, Zen,” Jaehee said before turning to me, “Again, thank you for coming in today. Hopefully, we will be able to meet again soon for something other than business.”  
I smiled and gave her a quick bow before heading out the door to Zen.  
I hope that we can all get closer.


End file.
